First Sunday in Advent 2011

KEEP AWAKE Mark 13:24-37 Advent 1B November 27, 2011
Today is the beginning of the season of Advent, the time before Christmas when the Church thinks about the coming of Christ into the world. His coming into the world is divided into three parts.
First is the coming of Jesus as the child born in Bethlehem to be our savior, which we will celebrate on December 25th. In the Nicene Creed we say “For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary and became truly human.” This is a past event.
The second is the return of Christ at the end of time when he will be judge and ruler over all. We say in the Nicene Creed, “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.” This is a future event.
The third emphasis in Advent is the coming of Christ to us in the present time in the Word and in the Sacraments, as we worship and pray and call on his name. The emphasis is on the here and now, our present reality. It is this third aspect of the coming of Christ that I wish to speak about during each of the Sundays of Advent this year - 2011. And today I would have you think about this under the heading of today’s over all theme: “keep awake.”
In our gospel from Mark 13 for today, Jesus is clearly talking about his second coming at the end of time when he tells his disciples in verse 33 “Beware, keep alert…..” and in verse 37 “…what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.” Taking these words and placing them in the context of his coming to us in the present time, they are telling us to be alert to the ways that he is present for us in the here and now, so we do not miss what he is doing among us and fail to participate in it. For Jesus Christ is not just a historical figure from 2,000 years ago, nor is his coming only a future event for which we are waiting. He is among us now. He is working in the lives of his people today.
In Matthew 28:20 Jesus concluded his first coming among us as the Man from Galilee with the words, “and lo, I am with you always, even to the close of the age.” And in Matthew 18:20 Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” And in John 14:18 Jesus said, “I will not leave you desolate; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me; because I live you will live also. In that day you will know that I am in my Father and you in me and I in you.” That last quotation from John is a bit complicated, I will grant you, but the point that is being made is that when Jesus ascended into heaven, he did not forsake you and me for all the years between when he first came to this earth as a child and when he will come again as a judge. “I will come to you….” Jesus said.
In today’s gospel we are advised to be awake and alert to his coming. One of the things we are to do is not be distracted by other things in this world so that we miss seeing where God is at work. It is easy to be distracted.
In November’s WELCA Bible study we read the Parable of the Seed and the Sower. In that parable the seed, which is the word of God, falls in many places as the sower sows: on a hard path, on rocky ground, in good soil, and among thorns. In Mark 4:19 Jesus says that the seed that is sown among the thorns is like when the word of God is proclaimed but (and here I quote) “the cares of the world, and the delight in riches, and the desire for other things, enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.” This, to me, seems to be the great danger of this frantic and frenetic time between Thanksgiving and Christmas. We might paraphrase by saying the “demands of the season, the delight in presents, and the desire for other things obstruct the ability to see God at work around us.”
In my confirmation class we had a little skit that I dealt with twice this month, once with the regular class and once in a make-up class with those who missed the regular class. Our subject was the 9th commandment “you shall not covet your neighbor’s house.” The skit was about a boy and a girl who were sitting in the stands beyond center field at a baseball game. The boy was all excited because his favorite player, a terrific home run hitter, was going to come up to bat soon. He had high hopes that a home run ball would be hit right to him so that he could catch it in the stands. As they settle in for the first inning – the home run hitter is going to bat 4th or 5th – they sit with a box of popcorn and cup of soda pop. But then someone else comes in with a bigger box of popcorn, and the boy begins to covet that bigger box of popcorn. Soon he goes out to get the bigger one, enough for two or three people. But then in comes a family with a huge family-size bucket of popcorn, and the boy begins to covet again. He takes his eyes off the game that is now in progress and has eyes only for the bucket of popcorn. He is one of those kids who has to have the biggest and the best. So pretty soon he is up again and off to get the biggest bucket of popcorn and largest cup of soda pop the concession stand sells. And then he sits down with this huge bucket in his lap and this huge cup in his hand, just when his favorite player swings the bat with all his might. Yes, it is a first inning home run, hit right at the place where these people are sitting, but now he can hardly move without spilling things all over everyone. So he misses see the swing because he is trying to balance all his food, and it is his friend who reaches out to catch the ball hit into the stands. He missed the whole thing because he was distracted by all the stuff he had to have and went home without a souvenir baseball.
Jesus would not have us miss his coming to act in our world today because we are too distracted by things around us or too sleepy from doing too many of the things that aren’t really that important in the long run. He would like us to pay attention, be alert, and see that he is working in the world around us today. Keep awake!
Here is a free verse poem by a woman who was awake to God’s presence.
1. I saw God at work today
In my daughter as she cared for her two babies.
I sawn His gentle Hand reach down, filling her with peace and grace.
I saw God working today, when my daughter spoke to me words of wisdom.
I saw God working today on my behalf, when the tides began to rise in my heart
I heard Him say, "Peace, be still"
Not a poem, just grateful.

Here is a testimony from a man who was awakened to God’s presence in his life when he was anxious and worried. He said:
The other day, I met a man for lunch that I had only met briefly a couple of months ago. We had serious business to talk about as our respective organizations were in the middle of a dispute. Although we greeted each other cordially, I must admit that my stomach was in knots anticipating that each of us would spend more energy protecting our respective positions and not enough time listening. We ordered food and it was delivered to our table quickly. I picked up my fork and looked up at him. “Do you mind if we say grace first”? he asked. I looked around the crowded restaurant. “No, of course not”, I replied. Aloud, he thanked the Lord for the food, for friends, family and colleagues. He asked the Lord to bless our food and our conversation. Suddenly my apprehension departed. We ate, chatted and managed to find a resolution in short order. I left the meeting thanking God for sending me such a wise lunch companion who reminded me of what I needed most.
Today, I would ask if you are alert to the work of Jesus in the world today? Take a moment and think about where you have seen the hand of God at work this week.
In the verse of scripture that touched your heart.
In the words of a friend that lifted your spirit.
In the forgiveness extended to one who sinned against you.
In the cup of water given in Jesus’ name.
In the prayer that was answered.
AMEN.